Red Cross delegation visits MNJTF hqtrs, seeks further collaboration
By Chimezie Godfrey
A delegation from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Chad , led by the Chief of Operation, Mr Alfa Mamadu Djalo on Tuesday visited the Headquarters of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF).
In his remarks, the Force Commander (FC), Maj Gen Abdul Khalifah Ibrahim welcomed the delegation to the HQ and thanked them for their relentless and tireless efforts and for being a neutral body in any conflict.
He assured the delegation of the MNJTF’s compliance to the International Human Right laws and International Humanitarian laws as there had never been any report of disregard to such laws by any of the Sectors.
The FC informed them of one of the MNJTF’s mandates which is to ensure that displaced person’s are resettled back to their ancestral homes. This he said was being carried out naming towns like Baroua in Niger Republic, Malamfatori in Nigeria, Kolofata in Cameroon, Litri in Chad, amongst many others as places where thousands have been returned to.
He appealed to the ICRC to look at how they could key into the resettlement of displaced persons to their homes, adding that the MNJTF and the political leaders were already in the forefront.
An information brief was delivered to the team which highlighted the roles of the MNJTF and it’s humanitarian activities.
In his remarks, Mr Djalo thanked the FC for the brief which was given to them and congratulated the MNJTF for it’s successes in it’s fight against terrorism.
He spoke about the mandates of the ICRC which include protection of the civilian population, support to victims of conflicts, sensitization of security agencies on International Human Right laws, among others.
He requested that the Force should contact the relations of those arrested as the family would be worried. He further stated that the ICRC doesn’t replace a government, rather it carries out dialogues in constructive manners to bring an end to the conflict.
There was an interactive session where grey areas were cleared and thereafter, an exchange of souvenirs. A group photograph was taken which marked the end of a hitch free visit. Pictures attached.
